The Curse of the Yellow-Eyed Monster
by SpunkyPaperAngel
Summary: Bruises, scratches, hissing animals, strange sounds, nightmares, and piles of sand started showing up out of nowhere when Karura Kana became acquainted with Hiro Kazeno. Even though Kushina had warned her that Hiro was no good, that Hiro had strange eyes, the guy looked normal. Like the average chemistry partner, with maybe just a tint of evil. Alternate universe- modern times.
1. Intro

_Karura Kana and Hiro Kazeno are the full names I made up for Karura and The Fourth Kazekage (the SandSib's parents), for those unaware._

_While I aim to make this a movie PG-13 suspense/thriller/horror type of story, I don't promise I will succeed. I'm more of a drama/humor person. Still, I think this should be fun. _  
_I should also note that I have fifteen chapters of it already written, and they vary greatly in length. Most are relatively short, with some long ones here and there. If length inconsistency bothers you, then this might not be the story for you. _  
_For the next fifteen weeks this will be updated almost weekly. Some weeks I will post one-shots or chapters for my other ongoing stories instead._  
_If you like this little intro or any future chapters, please leave a comment on the review section. I love getting feedback, especially when writing in these genres outside my comfort zone._

_I don't own Narutoverse._

**The Curse of the Yellow-Eyed Monster  
**

**One**

In the middle of my freshman year of high school, a sophomore girl named Pakura Saito was found dead in her bedroom. Authorities said it was murder, but no one was ever arrested. What does this have to do with me a year and a half later on my first day of junior year?

"I think he killed her," Kushina whispered in my ear, her eyes set on the auburn-haired senior boy four rows ahead of us, Hiro Kazeno.

"Shut up," I said, looking down at my desk afraid he would hear us. "Of course not."

"It's true. Have you ever seen his eyes?"

"No. I'm not a creepo like you."

"I'm not a creepo!" She smacked me on the back of the head so hard I went flying forward and my forehead hit the table with a loud thud. "Karura! My bad!"

People laughed, then laughed more when they saw the red mark on my forehead, then laughed even harder when blood started gushing out my nose.

"I'm sorry, Karura, I'm sorry!"

"Nurse's office," I begged her. "Nurse's office."

Instead, she went to beat up the people laughing at me. Typical Kushina.

The story about Pakura connects to this in that it was Hiro himself, Pakura's ex-boyfriend, who ended up taking me to the nurse's office. Ever since, I slowly became too involved in his very complicated, disturbing life.


	2. Nosebleeds and Chemistry

_I don't own Narutoverse._

**The Curse of the Yellow-Eyed Monster**

**Two**

"First day of school and you almost got your nose broken," the nurse nagged at me. "Not good, young lady. Not good."

"It was an accident," I mumbled through my bloody napkin for the hundredth time. The nurse didn't like me. Kushina's brute strength sent me to the school clinic almost every month for the past two years so now this lady thought I was some kind of annoying spazz.

"Whatever, just lay in the cot until the bleeding stops." The bell rang outside in the hall; the nurse turned to my escort, Hiro. "Get back to your classroom, young man," she snapped. "She'll catch up when she's ready."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, but when she left, he didn't make a move to leave. Instead, he got comfy, fluffing the pillow on the cot beside mine and laying down. It was quiet and peaceful for a while until he decided to talk. "You look like a nice girl," he bluntly said. "You should pick better friends."

I didn't know how to answer. Before then, I had never spoken to this guy. Now we were discussing our friendships with others? After a few seconds of awkward silence came my weak reply. "Kushina is alright. She can't help herself."

"Tch. If you ask me, she's an idiot," he said.

An uncomfortable pit settled in my stomach. "Now, now, that's uncalled for..."

"She plays sports, doesn't she? I think she got hit one too many times on the head."

Actually I got hit on the head playing volleyball more often than Kushina did, not that I mentioned it. "Do you know her from before? Do you have something against her?"

"No. I don't." He paused. "I guess... I just don't appreciate people saying I killed my ex-girlfriend. And on the first day of school at that."

My heart stopped. "I... we... uh... she doesn't... she didn't... she wouldn't..." I started drowning on my nosebleed blood so sat up. "How do you know she said that?"

He looked at the ceiling with annoyance. "When people sitting behind me are gossiping in whispers, it is usually about Pakura's murder."

"I... I'm sorry." I turned away so he couldn't see the blush spreading across my face. "That was very insensitive of us. I'm sorry."

He didn't say anything after that, and it turned even more awkward. Then ten minutes later the nurse returned to check on my nose and kicked both of us out.

When we returned to the classroom, everyone had picked their teammate for the semester. Kushina had chosen to sit with Minato Namikaze- not a surprise because her crush on him was the only reason she had joined the chemistry honors class- so I ended up with the only other person available: Hiro himself.

He frowned. In anger? Disappointment? I don't know. I winced internally. Because this stranger didn't like me? Because I was already dreading working with him for the next four months? Who knows. Looking back, it was probably just my instincts screaming at me to get away from him.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Please support the author by reviewing and commenting if you like, since this isn't bound to get much attention._


	3. The Eyes of Kazeno

_I don't own Narutoverse._

**The Curse of the Yellow-Eyed Monster**

**Three**

Minato this, Minato that. Minato's eyes were even more blue when close up, and his handwriting resembled that of a girl's. It was a little over twelve o' clock and both Kushina and I were on lunch break.

"Lucky. Because of you, I'm stuck with Hiro Kazeno." I bit into my tuna sandwich triangle.

I didn't mean to sound bitter, but Kushina's huge smile dropped in an instant. "He wouldn't kill you in front of the class, you know? And if he tries, I'll kick his ass!" Her hands balled into fists.

I swallowed my food. "It's not that. It's just that he knows we were talking smack about him and he got mad."

"_I _was talking smack about him, not you. If he has a problem with it, he better come and say it to my face."

"Well, you and I are like one so I think he got mad at me too."

She smiled. "We _are _like one, aren't we? If you were a guy, I'd have a hard time deciding between you and Minato." She winked.

I chuckled. "It's nice to know I'm not the obvious choice." I took another bite of my sandwich.

"If you want, I could go lesbian for you!" she basically screamed in the middle of the cafeteria.

People gave us weird looks and I almost choked on the tuna.

She laughed shamelessly. "Anyway! How did that bat even hear us? He was like all the way over there."

"He was three or four seats away from us! It's not _that _far!"

"But I was whispering!"

"And he noticed." I flicked her on the head. "He told me that every time people were whispering around him, it was about him and Pakura."

Her brow furrowed. "See? What did I tell you? Everyone can see he was the one who killed her."

"He sounded so upset though."

"Because he's guilty as charged."

"I think he's just hurt. I heard that they were dating ever since middle school."

"Yeah, apparently they were childhood friends too."

"See? He wouldn't kill her."

"Or maybe that's why he killed her." She nodded wisely. "Pakura tried to leave him and he couldn't imagine life without her."

"Except he is now living life without her. Wouldn't he have killed himself too?"

"Well," she shrugged, "What do I know? I'm not a detective." She started eating her salad.

"Then you shouldn't be accusing people of murder." I ate the last piece of my sandwich half.

When Kushina decided to talk again, for once she sounded thoughtful and mellow, almost whimsical. "You know, I hear that when Pakura died, Hiro's grades went down. That's why last year he was always staying for tutoring, and this year he is repeating both chemistry and algebra II. But, last year when I was going from track practice to volleyball, I bumped into him in the hall. His eyes, Karura, his eyes were weird."

"How weird?"

"Like... all black, with yellow and stars...?"

It was awkwardly quiet for a moment, and then I snorted in laughter and she threw a piece of lettuce at my face.

"I'm telling you! There's something weird about his eyes!"

I didn't believe her. Kushina was just too silly. Even so, she had warned me, and in the weeks to come I was bound to remember the conversation.


	4. Angry Projects and Upset PBJs

I don't own Narutoverse. Warning: a few bad words are used up ahead.

**The Curse of the Yellow-Eyed Monster**

**Four**

Chemistry honors was not an easy class. I could handle it alright with some studying, but Kushina was hanging by a thread. She didn't even understand the basics, and yet she refused to pick up the textbook. Instead, every day after volleyball she walked back home with me and trusted me the impossible mission of tutoring her. She said I was more helpful than books, but it left me with no time to work on the six-week project I had to complete with Hiro. "Why don't you just transfer to regular classes? You're hurting both our grades and even Minato's anyway."

"He said it was okay as long as we passed the class..."

"Kushina... Minato is a ridiculously nice guy. He's probably frustrated with you but too shy to admit it..."

How I wish I was sitting with Minato. Hiro didn't talk much other than what was necessary, and when he did talk, he was not very nice.

Then a few weeks later, two days before the project was due, he was just outright mean. "I am done with my half of the project," he lashed out. "And you're just starting on your part. Pick up the slack already. I am a senior. I am trying to graduate this year."

"Well, this isn't as easy as it looks," I started in my defense, but he cut me off.

"It is too. An idiot could do it."

"Easy for you to say. This is your second time taking the class."

"I failed it the first time, didn't I?"

"Then stop pretending you're so smart," I snapped.

When he called me a good-for-nothing bitch, I told him he could take the whole project and shove it up his ass. I'd had it with him. Kushina and Minato welcomed me into their table and I began to help them finish their own two-person project.

It frustrated Hiro even more, but at last he swallowed his pride, quit the whole arrogant jerk act, and called me back to him. "I'm sorry, Karura. Come back here, please. I'm sorry. I need you to help me. This is your grade too, you know. It's too much work for one person."

Unfortunately for him, I have a pride of my own and wasn't going to let go of the 'good-for-nothing bitch' insult anytime soon. "Get someone else to help you if I'm so dumb!"

But of course, I was dying on the inside. I've always been a good girl. Not only did I worry about my grades too much, but I felt awful because I knew I was letting Hiro down. He had every right to be mad at me. I was prioritizing Kushina's tutoring over my obligations to him. Had the roles been switched, I would've been the one mad at Hiro.

It was lunch time that same afternoon, and Kushina was trying to convince me into joining the student council with her. Minato was running for school president and she wanted to run as his VP, but for that she would need my support.

Then Hiro showed up with a stack of papers and a heavy textbook and dropped them on top of my peanut butter jelly.

"Hey-!"

"I split your half of the project in half again. That is your part. That means that I did three fourths of it, and that the least you can do is be a nice girl and help with one fourth."

"You squished my food!"

Kushina stood up. "Go away, you jerk!"

He glared at her. "Stay out of this, Tomato Head. This is between Karura and I." He turned to me just as viciously. "Honestly, I rather do this on my own. Relaying on other people is no good, _as you may be aware_, but I have other three projects too and can only spread myself so much."

I was blushing pink in both anger and embarrassment. "Alright then but what am I supposed to eat now?" I told him. "You owe me a sandwich!"

"Screw your sandwich. Who eats peanut butter jelly sandwiches in the middle of the day anyway?"

"I do!"

"Okay, then I will personally make you two damn sandwiches if we can get at least a ninety-five, okay?"

At that point, Kushina screamed at him to fuck off, which he did much to my relief. After school however, instead of going to volleyball practice with Kushina like I usually did, I went straight home and worked on chemistry until it was ten at night.

When we got our grades back a week later, it was a ninety-eight.

"Where's my sandwich, Hiro?"

He grimaced. "I hope you're kidding."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Comments and reviews are welcomed!


	5. Unexpected Not-A-Date

I don't own Narutoverse.

**The Curse of the Yellow-Eyed Monster**

**Five**

What Kushina lacked in brains, she more than made up in physical activity. She was good at gymnastics, dance, track, basketball, and now she was playing varsity volleyball. I had joined the team in feshman year just so that I could be with her, but other than always going to practice, I never participated on the actual matches. Not that I cared either. I was always sweating and about to pass out from breath exhaustion fifteen minutes into the warm up exercises. Sports really weren't my thing, but my love for Kushina and my love food were so strong I figured being on the team was a way to keep my friendship with Kushina strong and undesired calories off my tummy.

"It's five o' clock! Time to hit the showers!" Coach called out.

"Karura!" Kushina jogged up to me. "Hey, I'm going to track practice now. We have competition next weekend! Want to come with me?"

"Thanks but no thanks. Two hours of volleyball are bad enough." I was panting and flushed. "I'm dying."

She stuck her tongue out and moved along. "Suit yourself, but you lack stamina. One day you're going to need to run away from something and you'll remember my words."

I rolled my eyes and went to get my stuff from the locker rooms, where most of the girls were already naked and washing themselves. I was hot; getting under the water was tempting. Sadly, I never had the guts to shower in front of the others, not even Kushina. I was always more on the reserved side, and compared to all the dedicated, slim athletes, my chest looked huge. It was bad enough to have the girls from the team talking about my breasts and squeezing them when clothed; I would faint if they saw them bare. Let alone, if they saw my butt.

So instead I just put up my short blond hair into a silly ponytail, rinsed my face and neck, and hurried out of the gym. The walk home was only twenty minutes and I would shower then like I always did.

Or so was the plan until I bumped into Hiro Kazeno leaving the biology lab. "Oh. It's you," he said, eyeing me up and down.

If my cheeks had not been so flushed from the workout, he would've noticed right away how embarrassing it was to be seen by him looking like a slob. "What? You've never seen a girl that just got out of sports practice?"

"I have, and they are usually fresh out of the showers."

I felt like I was melting. I resumed my walk hoping to get away but he started walking on the same direction and fell in step right beside me. _Not talking at all. _If he didn't want to talk, I should have stayed quiet as well. But maybe I'm so used to Kushina's loud mouth. The silence was awkward and eerie.

"So, what are you doing here so late at school on a Friday?" I asked.

"I enjoy dissecting pigs on my free time," he answered nonchalantly.

"Eh?!" My mind screamed, _Signs of a murdurer! He had killed Pakura Saito! He really had!_

The corner of his lips turned up into a smirk. "I'm still missing some credits for graduation. That's all."

"Oh, thank goodness!" I sighed in relief, and he didn't respond. I should've stayed quiet. "So... how did you get so far behind anyway?"

He pursed his lips. "... Pakura."

I couldn't help it. I laughed nervously.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head at me. "The end of sophomore year and the begining of junior year were bad to me. Couldn't concentrate on school work when she had just... left. I... I miss her a lot. Believe it or not, I _didn't _kill her."

It was as if he knew what I was thinking! Now, I really, _really _should've kept my mouth shut, but instead now I was so scared of being with him, a possible murdurer, in nearly empty halls. I started running my mouth. "I don't think you killed her, Hiro. I mean, I never met Pakura and I just met you this year, but I had seen her and you walking together hand in hand down the halls back when she wasn't dead. You looked very happy together. You guys made a really cute couple. I hear that you had known each other most of your lives. I can't even begin to imagine how much it must have hurt to know she was gone. I bet you loved her very much. There's no way you'd hurt someone you love, right?"

"Right, but can we talk about something else, please?"

"We can!"

We didn't talk again until we were outside the school and reached the fork that led to the student parking lot.

"See you tomorrow, Hiro," I told him, seeing as how he started walking down that path.

"Is someone picking you up?"

"No," I admitted. "I usually walk home."

Then to my dismay, "Come with me. I'll give you a ride."

_Say no, Karura, make up an excuse, he could be a murdurer_. "Oh. Okay..." _Stupid_.

The thing about Hiro was that even though the rational part of me wanted to label him as a possible threat, I couldn't bring myself to fully see him as a villain. "Sorry about the mess," he said, throwing empty cups and paper bags to the back seat of his old, black Cadillac, then opening the passenger door for me. "I eat in my car a lot." Are those the actions of a cold-hearted psychopath?

"Don't worry about it. I have a little brother and he is always eating in mom's car. He leaves trash everywhere."

"How old is he?"

"Twelve. His name is Yashamaru."

He started the vehicle and buckled up. "That's nice. I always wanted a little brother. Which way are we going?"

"Turn left for now. Do you have siblings?"

"I do not. Mind if I stop at the gas station first?"

"Not at all."

He turned right and soon after we were stuck on the red light. Without talking.

"You have a nice car," I told him.

"Thank you."

"So... did you buy it or was it a gift?"

"I inherited it."

"Ah. So it used to be your grandfather's?"

"My mom's."

"Oh... does that mean your mom is...?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Quiet again. "You don't talk much, do you? Only when you're cranky."

"I'm never cranky."

"Yes you are. The longest conversation we had was the first day of school in the nurse's when you were mad at me because of what Kushina had said. And then the next time you talked a lot was when you got mad at me because I wasn't working on the project the way I should have. I'm really sorry about it, by the way. I promise that for the next project I will do three fourths of it while you take it easy."

"I think the problem here is that you talk way too much."

"You're kind of rude."

"Well, as far as I'm aware, you're only quiet when you're paying attention in class, when your friend is running her mouth and you get stuck listening, and when you're eating."

"Talking about eating, you haven't given me my two peanut butter jellys like you said you would!"

He groaned. "I don't even own peanut butter and jelly to make you them. How 'bout I take you to the best pizza place ever instead?"

"What? Why, when, where?"

"Right now. You're not in a hurry to get home are you?"

"No, but... I can't go out looking like this."

He scoffed. "It's not like it's a date or anything. Are you really that vain?"

"No, but..."

"You look fine to me."

"I... uh..."

"But if you don't want to try the best pizza in the world, that's okay too. Just don't bother me about your stupid sandwich again."

_Oh man, free pizza, and the best in the world too_... "Okay, okay, let's go!"

Only I would make it easy for a murdurer to kidnap me over a food. The thing is, everything seemed perfectly safe. Hiro filled his tank and then drove straight to this tiny pizzeria owned by an Italian guy and his Cuban wife. The meal he bought for us was as delicious as he had promised, and although it was clear on both our parts that this was not a date, it felt like one. Turned out we were both food connosieours, and even when we were done eating we just sat there and continued exchanging our knowledge on recipes and restaurants. Then I talked to him about my life, my mom and dad, their divorce, my strong bond with Yashamaru, how I met Kushina, and he told me about his job at a photography studio with his uncle, about his dad being an airport pilot, practically living in the skies, about his mom's death ten years ago. Hours ticked by. It felt like I'd known Hiro for ages, and I didn't care if my hair was a mess and I was still wearing my dirty gym clothes because it was okay for him to see me that way.

Then l messed up when I asked him about Pakura.

"It's almost eight, Karura. I should take you home. Ready?"

Up until then, all notion of him ever having killed Pakura was gone. He was just a normal guy with a hard life. But then, Kushina was right. It was just a small flash, but I saw it clearly. Hiro's face was blank, the sclera part of his eyes black, his pupils the color of bright gold, and in the center what resembled stars. It was creepy, it was unnatural, and it happened fast.

"Should we get going, Karura?" he asked again. He looked so normal.

It took all the courage I had to keep from screaming, and even more to get back in the car with him. Maybe it had just been my imagination, a gentle reminder of Kushina's warning. But now he looked so normal. Very tired and upset, but very normal.

I was scared of him.


End file.
